Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/17/1999 08:03 AM House URS
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON UTILITY RESTRUCTURING
March 17, 1999
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bill Hudson, Chairman
Representative John Cowdery, Vice Chairman
Representative Pete Kott
Representative Norman Rokeberg
Representative Brian Porter
Representative John Davies
Representative Ethan Berkowitz
Representative Joe Green (alternate)
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 62
"An Act relating to the Alaska Public Utilities Commission; and
providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSHB 62(URS) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PRESENTATION: TOM STAHR - MANAGER OF CORDOVA ELECTRIC: PILOT
STUDY OBSERVATIONS/ELECTRIC COMPETITION IN
RURAL ALASKA
PRESENTATION: JACK RHYNER - ALASKA TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION:
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND/PHONE COMPETITION
PRESENTATION: GARY BROOKS - INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF
ELECTRICAL WORKERS UNION (IBEW): COMPETITION
(* First public hearing)
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 62
SHORT TITLE: ALASKA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVES(S) THERRIAULT
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
1/22/99 68 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
1/22/99 69 (H) URS, L&C
2/08/99 172 (H) FIN REFERRAL ADDED
2/17/99 (H) URS AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 120
2/17/99 (H) HEARD AND HELD
2/17/99 (H) MINUTE(URS)
3/10/99 (H) URS AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 120
WITNESS REGISTER
WILDA RODMAN, Legislative Administrative Assistant
to Representative Gene Therriault
Alaska State Legislature
Capitol Building, Room 511
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-4797
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on behalf of sponsor on HB 62.
TOM STAHR, Interim General Manager
Cordova Electric Cooperative
Address not provided
Telephone: (Not provided)
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed observations on the pilot study and
electric competition in rural Alaska.
JACK RHYNER, President
Tel Alaska Incorporated
2121 Abbott Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99507
Telephone: (907) 349-3400
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a report on the Universal Service
Fund and phone competition.
GARY BROOKS, Business Manager
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW)
2702 Denali Street
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Telephone: (907) 272-6571
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed competition and its effects on the
International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Union.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 99-8, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIRMAN BILL HUDSON called the House Special Committee on Utility
Restructuring meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Members present at the
call to order were Representatives Hudson, Cowdery, Kott, Porter,
and Green (alternate). Representatives Berkowitz, Davies, and
Rokeberg arrived at 8:05 a.m., 8:05 a.m., and 8:23 a.m.,
respectively.
HB 62 - ALASKA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
CHAIRMAN HUDSON announced the first order of business is HB 62, "An
Act relating to the Alaska Public Utilities Commission; and
providing for an effective date."
CHAIRMAN HUDSON indicated there is a proposed committee substitute
and called for a motion to adopt it.
Number 0102
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY made a motion and asked unanimous consent to
adopt the proposed committee substitute for HB 62 (1-LS0327\H,
Cramer, 3/15/99) for discussion purposes. There being no
objection, it was so adopted.
CHAIRMAN HUDSON called on the sponsor.
Number 0167
WILDA RODMAN, Legislative Administrative Assistant to
Representative Gene Therriault, Alaska State Legislature, stated
the sponsor is not here because of a conflict with a House Finance
Standing Committee meeting.
CHAIRMAN HUDSON announced the arrival of Representatives Berkowitz
and Davies.
CHAIRMAN HUDSON stated the proposed committee substitute tightens
the title and isolates the bill to simply the expansion of the
sunset date. It also modifies the length of the sunset expansion
from the original bill. He asked Ms. Rodman to speak to the
proposed committee substitute.
MS. RODMAN stated the prime sponsor doesn't have a problem with the
length of the sunset, but the sponsor has a problem with splitting
the issues into separate bills. Representative Therriault believes
that all the issues should be dealt with without ushering through
the sunset, otherwise problems might not get addressed.
Number 0253
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY stated the important thing is the sunset and
any other issues that has been discussed in the past should be part
of a separate piece of legislation.
Number 0276
CHAIRMAN HUDSON noted that was the consensus he started to hear
from the committee members.
Number 0308
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER understands the desire of the prime sponsor
and the urgency to try to do something to help the Alaska Public
Utilities Commission (APUC). However, he is concerned because
there are all sorts of things that people want to do to the APUC
for various reasons that could be added to a loose title subverting
the wishes of the sponsor and this committee. He prefers the
proposed committee substitute.
Number 0375
REPRESENTATIVE KOTT shares the same concerns of Representative
Porter. Having been in management/administration for most of his
life, he would like to do a lot of things that could benefit the
APUC. And, if he's out there as 1 member of the legislature, there
are probably 59 other members that could equally do something
similar. He noted he could go either way with the length of the
sunset - two years or four years. He supports the proposed
committee substitute in its present form.
Number 0483
CHAIRMAN HUDSON announced that this doesn't eliminate the other
elements that have been before the committee. He has instructed
staff to wait for the audit report, to look at the recommendations,
and to prepare a working document for the committee to discuss. He
feels comfortable with the proposed committee substitute. It's
limited, tight and brings it back to the legislature in two years
which gives the legislature an opportunity to see what has happened
during that interim period of time. It also gives the APUC enough
time to continue its operation without ending up in a fiscal or
financial situation.
Number 0573
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES agrees with the approach, but wonders whether
two years is enough time to evaluate, measure and judge any change,
assuming a bill is pushed through that makes changes. He would
feel more comfortable with three years.
Number 0634
REPRESENTATIVE GREEN supports the two speakers prior to
Representative Davies. If there is a personality problem within
the commission, some of that will be taken care of within the next
few months. The biggest issue is the inefficiency of the
commission's operation and two years is certainly enough time to
see whether that has been corrected. All of the problems might not
have been solved, but it will show whether it is on the right
track. He is concerned it might get shoved behind other issues
with an arbitrary extension of three or four years, and in that
case, nobody is really accountable. He supports a two year
extension.
Number 0768
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER made a motion to move the proposed committee
substitute for HB 62 (1-LS0327\H, Cramer, 3/15/99) out of committee
with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal note(s).
There being no objection, CSHB 62(URS) was so moved from the House
Special Committee on Utility Restructuring.
PRESENTATION: TOM STAHR-MANAGER OF CORDOVA ELECTRIC: PILOT STUDY
OBSERVATIONS/ELECTRIC COMPETITION IN RURAL ALASKA
TAPE 99-8, SIDE(S) A
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
TOM STAHR, Interim General Manager, Cordova Electric Cooperative,
testified via teleconference from Cordova. He read from a handout
titled, "Testimony of Thomas Stahr".
PRESENTATION: JACK RHYNER-ALASKA TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION: UNIVERSAL
SERVICE FUND/PHONE COMPETITION
TAPE 99-8, SIDE(S) A & B
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
JACK RHYNER, President, Tel Alaska Incorporated, came before the
committee and read from a handout titled, "Competition in Rural
Alaska".
PRESENTATION: GARY BROOKS-INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL
WORKERS UNION (IBEW): COMPETITION
TAPE 99-8, SIDE(S) B
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
GARY BROOKS, Business Manager, International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Union (IBEW), came before the committee and
discussed the effects of competition on the IBEW.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The Committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Utility Restructuring meeting was adjourned at
9:37 a.m.
NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by
contacting the House Records Office at 130 Seward Street, Suite
211, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1182, (907) 465-2214, and after
adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-first Alaska State
Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library.
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